Month: August 2014

A few months ago, I did a #ThrowbackThursday post on Instagram dedicated toCleveland’s baseball roots and the Tribe’s first home, League Park. I figured it’d be the perfect time to copy and paste an excerpt from that post.

In 1887, a professional baseball team was organized here and that team built a new park on 39th & Payne.. In 1890, the park was struck by lightening and much of it was destroyed by fire. The Cleveland Spiders finished out their season in the partially destroyed park and built a new, improved park at 66th & Lexington, it’s known to some baseball historians as League Park I. It was a wooden structure with seating for 9,000. Frank Robison (owner) and his brother had financial interests in the local traction company so they built their park where their street car lines intersected. In 1899, the Robisons took their talents (and most of the Spiders’ talents) to St. Louis and the Cleveland team was eliminated from the National League. In 1901, however, they joined their current home, the American League and 10 years later, League Park was destroyed and rebuilt with accommodations for 21,000. League Park was home to the Spiders, Cleveland Naps, Cleveland Buckeyes (Negro League), Cleveland Indians and a practice field for the Cleveland Browns at one point. It was purchased by the city in 1950 with intent to turn it into a recreational area. The park is on the National Register of Historic Places and is NOW undergoing a $6 Million renovation.

Today, the Park became the first professional baseball field to be converted in to community use, as the field will host the city’s recreational league games, as well as home games for Rhodes and Lincoln West’s high school baseball teams.

The field also will be available for rent for private groups at a rate of $1,000 for six hours.

The refurbished park includes a new artificial turf baseball field designed to League Park’s original dimensions, including a 460-foot span from home plate to the center field wall, and a 45-foot-high right field fence. The park also features a museum, a walking track, a community room and the historic ticket house has been refurbished.

Pictures of the aforementioned, as well as highlights from today’s appearance by the Cleveland Blues vintage baseball team and an unveiling of a sculpture of late Cleveland City Councilwoman Fannie M. Lewis, who 20 years ago began the effort to rehab the historic baseball park, can be found below.

CLEVELAND – Dynasty will meet destiny tonight with the James F. Foster Trophy on the line when the Cleveland Gladiators (17-1) host the Arizona Rattlers (15-3) at 8:00 p.m. ET in ArenaBowl XXVII on ESPN.

The Rattlers’ dynasty will be making its fourth consecutive ArenaBowl appearance and ninth championship game overall as Arizona looks to become just the second team in AFL history – and first since 1990 – to win three League titles in a row. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Gladiators – Arena Football’s “team of destiny” – have enjoyed an improbable run to enter their first-ever ArenaBowl contest with a chance to bring Cleveland its first major pro sports championship in 50 years.

The Gladiators earned the moniker of “Kardiac Kids” as a result of their penchant for dramatic finishes in 2014. Cleveland’s road to the ArenaBowl has featured six victories on the final play of the game and nine wins by a touchdown or less. Late-game theatrics aside, the Gladiators’ miracle season has also been historic, as the team set a new AFL record for regular season victories with 17 on the year and completed the greatest turnaround in League history, improving from a 4-14 record with a very similar roster a year ago.

On the other side of the spectrum, Arizona has been the “gold standard” of the AFL for nearly half-a-decade. The four-time defending National Conference champs have become a modern day dynasty, playing an astounding 83 games since 2011 and looking to become the first AFL team to three-peat as ArenaBowl champions since the Detroit Drive won three straight titles from 1988-1990. Despite having a target firmly on their backs all year, the Rattlers set an AFL record with 14 consecutive regular season wins to begin the 2014 season.

Ten of the League’s 36 All-Arena selections in 2014 will play in the championship game, including Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Year and AFL MVP Nick Davila, who holds the AFL record for most career ArenaBowl touchdown passes with 23. The “Latin Laser” is likely to make more history Saturday night, as he is 56 passing yards shy of Arena Football Hall of Famer Jay Gruden’s career ArenaBowl record of 975 and 14 completions shy of Arena Football Hall of Famer Sherdrick Bonner’s career ArenaBowl record of 81.

Davila’s counterpart, Second Team All-Arena quarterback Shane Austin, is entering his first career ArenaBowl after tossing 99 touchdown passes for the Gladiators in 2014. Austin – who began the season as the team’s backup quarterback – went 16-1 as a starter in Cleveland. This will be the second-year man’s first career game against Arizona.

The Rattlers lead the overall series with a 12-3 record against the Gladiators in the regular season and a 1-0 mark in the postseason. However, this will be the first meeting between the two franchises since May 28, 2011 when Arizona defeated Cleveland, 63-42, in the “Snake Pit”. The Rattlers have played in Cleveland just once, topping the Gladiators, 61-56, on April 3, 2010.

Kickoff for ArenaBowl XXVII from Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio is set for 8:00 p.m. ET tonight on ESPN.

As football season returns, the City of Cleveland would like for all fans and visitors to have a safe, enjoyable experience at every Cleveland Browns home game; this includes traveling to and from FirstEnergy Stadium, tailgating, and parking in downtown Cleveland.

“Whether you plan on heading straight to the game or tailgating, we want everyone to have an enjoyable and safe time when they come downtown,” said Michael McGrath, Director of Public Safety. “When you have tens of thousands of people converging on one area of the city in a short period of time, there’s always the potential for any multitude of traffic hazards and we want to mitigate those concerns.”

To accomplish that goal, the City of Cleveland is increasing its efforts to improve the flow of traffic, minimize the risk for pedestrian/vehicle accidents and offer a fun, safe tailgating experience.

Vehicular and Pedestrian Traffic – Pedestrian Bridge

The Division of Police and the Division of Traffic Engineering have developed a plan to move traffic more efficiently prior to and after every Cleveland Browns home game. The first portion of this plan involves keeping the pedestrian bridge (see attached map) closed indefinitely. The pedestrian bridge is closed throughout the year except for the 10 Cleveland Browns home games. By keeping the bridge closed, the Division of Traffic Engineering will be able to implement a safer pedestrian route to FirstEnergy Stadium and improve the traffic flow around the stadium. Signage will be posted to notify the public of the bridge closure and to redirect them towards alternate routes along East 9th Street or West 3rd Street.

In addition to public safety improvements, dividing the pedestrian traffic from the vehicular traffic allows for a free flow of vehicular traffic in and out of the parking areas before and after games.

To access the stadium from the Huntington parking garage, fans should exit and head towards West 3rd Street then head north to the southwest and northwest gates of the stadium.

To access the stadium from Willard parking garage, fans are encouraged to exit the garage and head towards East 9th Street, then towards Erieside Avenue, then towards the southeast and northeast gates of the stadium.

Vehicular and Pedestrian Traffic – Traffic Control

In addition to the closure of the pedestrian bridge, the Division of Traffic Engineering has redesigned various traffic control measures to improve safety and walkability during game day.

Alternative Traffic Routing – West 25th Street, Superior Avenue, Prospect Avenue, East 14th Street and East 18th Street will now be a part of the game day traffic plan with added signage and signal timing changes.

Redirection of traffic along the Marginal roadways – Traffic will be able access I-90 at East 55th. Traffic will not be permitted to access East 9th Street from the Marginal so as to not conflict with pedestrian traffic.

Pedestrian fencing – Additional fencing will be added to prohibit pedestrians from walking onto the Shoreway or Shoreway ramps

Police officers and traffic controllers – The following intersections will now be staffed with traffic controllers: West 9th Street and St. Clair Avenue, West 9th Street and Superior Avenue, West 6th Street and St. Clair Avenue, West 6th Street and Superior Avenue, West 25th Street and Detroit, and all Muni Lot access driveways to and from the Shoreway. In addition to these intersections, all driveway access points to North Marginal Road from the Coast Guard Station and Burke Airport will be staffed.

Tailgating

The Cleveland Division of Police and Department of Public Works endeavor to provide all visitors and patrons of every Cleveland Browns home football game with a safe and family-friendly environment before, during, and after game time. For many Browns football fans, tailgating is a popular event all around the City, especially inside the City’s municipal parking lot off of the east Shoreway (Muni Lot).

Due to the safety challenges and concerns associated with tailgating on public property, the Cleveland Division of Police and Department of Public Works have implemented the following rules and procedures to create a secure event inside the Muni Lot. These rules and procures will be in effect at all home games. On Saturday, August 23, 2014, tailgating start time will be 7:00 a.m. Please note: No tailgating is permitted in the Willard parking garage behind City Hall.

Lot Operation and Fees – the Muni Lot opens promptly at 7:00 am for all regular and pre-season season weekend home games. Vehicles are not permitted to enter the premises before that time. The fee to park in the municipal lot is $20 dollars. You will be charged for all spaces that you occupy. Cleveland Police will not permit vehicles to line-up or stage on the Shoreway before game time.

Alcohol and Safety – Open containers, consumption of alcohol and public intoxication are all prohibited in the Muni Lot. If you plan to consume alcohol during any sporting event always ensure you have a designated driver. Please exercise caution at all times and if you see something, please say something.

Sanitation – There will be 50 portable restrooms, 75 trash cans and 3 dumpsters in the Muni lot during all regular season games. Private latrines are strictly Please make sure all trash is disposed of properly before you leave any lot.

Parking – Parking restrictions are put in place in downtown Cleveland for each Browns home football game – typically for three hours before each game and until two hours after the game’s completion. Look for bright neon signs attached to posts, poles and parking meters in those areas affected by the restrictions. Violators will be ticketed and towed if parked in violation. All associated fines and fees to have an automobile released must be done at the One Stop Vehicle Impound Center located at 3040 Quigley Road.

On Saturday, August 23, 2014, Mayor Frank G. Jackson will join other officials, sports figures, and members of the community as the City of Cleveland announces the opening of historic League Park. The opening ceremony will include the unveiling of the Fannie M. Lewis sculpture, the League Park ribbon cutting, an appearance by the Cleveland Blues Vintage baseball team, a Home Run Derby, and many events and activities for people of all ages.

With all eyes seemingly on Cleveland sports this fall/winter, I was excited to see the Cavaliers schedule this season.

With that being said, it doesn’t disappoint with a fair number of nationally televised games against key opponents, including an Oct. 30th season opener at The Q against the NY Knicks, a Christmas day game against the Miami Heat, etc..

Five games on ABC (Dec. 25 at Miami,Jan. 25 vs. Oklahoma City, Feb. 8 vs. L.A. Lakers, Feb. 22 at New York and April 5 vs. Chicago).

Four games on NBA TV (Nov. 17 vs. Denver, Dec. 15 vs. Charlotte, March 1 at Houston and March 7 vs. Phoenix).

I don’t want to give too much away, check the full schedule out for yourself below!

Go Cavs.

Information regarding single game ticket sales for the Cavs’ regular season and preseason home games will be released at a later date. The Cavaliers promotional schedule, featuring special theme nights and giveaways, will also be announced at a later date.

You and a guest are invited to an advance screening of “When the Game Stands Tall,” a film inspired by the true story of the remarkable journey of legendary football coach Bob Ladouceur (Jim Caviezel), who took the De La Salle High School Spartans from obscurity to a 151-game winning streak that shattered records. The movie is an adaptation of the 2003 book of the same name by Neil Hayes.

Check the official trailer of this film starring Caviezel, Michael Chiklis, Alexander Ludwig, Clancy Brown and Laura Dern below..